Warming a cold heart
by rockyroad69
Summary: Witness my OC Robert Kane's adventures with the straw hats(after he gets dumped into their world) as he seeks(forced into) to fulfill(ing) his mother's last wish - to warm his freezing heart! Can the joyful and happy go lucky straw hats do it? Rated T for some swearing. Pairings you will decide in the reviews. no yaoi. EVERYTHING except my OCs belong to Oda.
1. Chapter 1

**Warming a Cold Heart**

**Hello guys! Now I have seen many fanfictions where the OC falls into one piece. I think they are waaayyy too friendly and joyful for my liking. So, Im gonna make my own hateful and cold OC! And the Strawhats are gonna make him nice somehow! Toodles, hope you enjoy, RnR please! EVERYTHING except my OCs belong to Oda!  
**

Robert Kane was not easily emotional. So much so that people has started calling him "cold". The 15 year old displayed the hardness of a war veteran ever since he was younger. Ruthless with words, immune to emotions. His relatives were always flummoxed by his stone faced presence, and his supposed inability to feel joy. His mother had died when he was 13 due to a rare disease, citing her last wish to have her son smile once more, while his father already thought he was a lost case, and gave up.

A few days after his 15th birthday(he didn't seem to enjoy it anyway), Robert was walking along the road when he saw his aunt Mary. Muttering a greeting, he silently scooted off to avoid her "joke time". However, before he knew it as he looked up, Mary was right in front of him and looked very stoic – nothing Kane expected as Mary was always a bubbly and a joyful character.

"Bloody hell" Kane muttered, shocked.

"So you _can_ feel shock after all. Anyway, is this how you greet your aunt – Wait you're not getting away from me so easily!" Mary chided as Kane tried to slink away.

While Kane tried to slink away to avoid her, he was suddenly pulled back with an unknown force and landed head first to the ground

He shouted as he lost consciousness, "What the fuck do you want?! What the hell was that?!"

"Wow, Kane losing his composure? That's a start. Anyway, I want to fulfill that last wish of your mother, whose death you did not even cry to. If you are wondering how I did that, I am a witch with the powers of telekinesis and dimensions" Mary said sadly with a tinge of pride.

"You WILL smile. If you don't fulfill that wish, you will never come back. Don't worry boy, I will guide you. You just need to call my number!" Mary said as she weaved a dimension spell towards Kane who was still unconscious from that telekinetic burst.

When Kane woke up, he found out two things. He had a MASSIVE headache(that fucking witch), and he was cold. _Burning _cold. Looking around, he discovered that he was in a snow covered place.

"Is it not summer..?" He wondered as he looked around.

However there was no time for that he knew he had to find shelter. However, the blizzard made it all too impossible to locate any. Succumbing to the freeze, he fell unconscious again.

Kane groaned as he woke up and felt a stethoscope pressed against him. Not only that, he was hooked up to a few IVs in what looked like a clinic. As he looked around, he saw what looked like a old female person(a doctor) dressed with a blazer and a shirt with exposed he belly button. And he did the obvious mistake. He muttered "old woman?" and got a nice round fist to his face.

"I am still a young 139, brat! By the way, don't move unless you want me to knock you out again! You are as impossible as that orange haired girl" the old woman said.

That set off some alarm bells for Kane. Kane might not have been a happy person, nor an easy person, but he did stick around with his cousins at times(usually to shut them up). And he had photographic memory and high intelligence. And he remembered a show named one piece. Everything then suddenly made sense. While he had zero interest in one piece, he did remember bits and pieces of it to know that he recognized that young woman(fucking hag), Doctor Kureha. Then he remembered about aunt Mary's promise to make him smile again, and that small detail that she was a dimension witch.

It so happened that he ended up in the happiest dimension albeit bloody cold. He sighed as a put everything together. He reached into his pocket and found a card, and call card. It was his aunt's number. While a.. Reindeer..? went in and _reviewed his progress,_ which was pretty nice to see in the show, but was creepy in real life. When the reindeer was done, Kane then requested a phone.

"What's a phone, some kind of cotton candy?" The reindeer 's eyes gleamed as Kane just looked with the eyes of death at him.

The reindeer cowered while Kane mused over why the reindeer didn't know about phones. Surely the one piece world had some kind of calling device..? Of course! The Den Den Mushi, not a phone. He looked around for the reindeer only to find him cowering at the side of the bed

"I'm…. Sorry.. But can I please get a Den Den Mushi?" He asked as nicely as he could, annoyed as he was.

It seemed that wasn't very nice, as the reindeer hastily retrieved the den den mushi, gave it to Kane and whimpered something like "Kowai..!"

He dialed the number and before long, that familiar annoying and joyful voice called out and said "Hellooooo! My sweeeeeetttt Kane!"

Kane simply grumbled and said "Fuck you Mary, why in the blue hell did you send me here?!"

"Now that's not very nice now is it? Well you better be, 'cause I'm gonna be the reason you're gonna survive this! That bag pack beside your bed has all the tools you need to survive with Luffy!" Aunt mary said

"Survive with Luffy..? Hey, I didn't say I'd join them! Send me back home, you hag!" Kane pleaded, only to distinctly hear Mary smirking in victory.

"Oh, you'll join them, or you will be stuck in a time loop which will bore you into joining them. HAHAHAHA!" Mary laughed sadistically.

"And you called **_me _**stone cold," sighed Kane,

"Anyway, that back pack beside you has an instruction manual and a devil fruit, all with which you will need to survive. Good luck my sweeettt! And bye~~" Mary said. And she hung up

Kane grumbled as he took in everything she said, clearly not having a choice in the matter. However, he also felt interested as he knew he would be in a new journey, instead of wasting away in Miami doing nothing. As he felt himself going back to sleep, he quietly got excited for tomorrow. Perhaps landing here wasn't so bad after all.

**OK here it is. My First long fanfiction which im going to try and update from time to time. But expect it not to be regular for now as my exams are coming soon and polytechnic is a little stressful. But my holidays are coming soon which means i ll have much more time to update there! Hope you enjoyed it, enjoy your day, and toodles~~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Well this is my second chapter of Warming a Cold Heart. I apologize for my faults at the first chapter, and things I totally forgot. That was careless hahahaha! Thanks to CallMeEevee who pointed out my careless and terrible mistake – not describing Mr. Kane. ****PS. Mr Kane calls his Aunt Mary Bloody Mary in this fanfic, owing to her witch status. Anyway, have fun!**  


Well, let's go! The second chapter! RnR, and hope you enjoy!

Kane was pissed. He was cold, hungry, waiting to piss, and the hag just _wouldn't_ let him out of the bed. His foul mouth and blunt nature did not help him in anyway, as he felt bumps the size of an egg on his head, not to mention he was now strapped to the bed. This situation reminded him too much of his alcoholic grandfather, which did not help his already foul mood. Already he remembered the terrible punishments.. The whi- CRASH! Kane, while having ice cold composure, couldn't keep it as he saw an object, no, a person, fly past him, crashing into the wall with a scream. While he looked at the fallen figure who was recovering from the crash, he couldn't help but find the person familiar.

"Is your name Monkey D Luffy?" Kane curtly asked, regaining his composure.

Luffy stiffened, hearing his name in such a tone. He turned behind, finding a man who was strapped to the bed. The man looked thin, pale and was of a tall stature. While his hair was an extremely dark, what struck Luffy was the eyes. Narrow, dark blue piercing eyes. It was the very same eyes Ace gave him when they first met. Cold, calculating and full of unreleased anger. To say nothing about the scars on his bare torso. However, Luffy also noticed the look of desperation and hidden loneliness upon the man's eyes. As blockheaded as Luffy was, he had an uncanny ability to read people very well.

While Kane gave Luffy the hardest glare he could to chase him away, he was instead surprised as Luffy reached out a hand with an infectious grin, "You look cool, so come join my crew!"

Kane was dumbstruck. However he had no time to answer as Doctorine(The hag asked him to call her that) burst inside and chased Luffy away, saying something about him not being nice. He must have called her a h**. Doctorine then started to undo the straps on his bed, further amazing him, citing the reason that he was recovered enough to be allowed to move.

"So, are you going to accept that offer, boy? Exchange an old life for a new family? A new start?" Doctorine asked as she undid the straps on his bed.

"What..?" was the only answer of Kane. She couldn't have known where he came from, now could she? Then again, she had lived a pretty long life(Not that he was going to say it).

"Don't try to avoid the question boy, I have lived long enough to know a hardened but brittle heart. And I know where those scars come from. Now, a man is offering his hand to give you a new life and a new beginning. Are you ready to accept it?" Doctorine asked as her eyes softened for a moment, and gleamed with amusement.

"Go away, hag." was Kane's only answer, as he watched Doctorine surprisingly walk away laughing instead of bashing him in the head.

When he woke up the next day, Kane's mind was grumbling and growling about this new situation. It's all because of that bloody Mary. Fucking witch will get her end of it soon. He was wondering, what use was it dumping him here with zero skills to survive in this environment. All he had was his wits. He couldn't fight, he was too blunt for his own good, he didn't have his way with words. What was she thinking..? Then, it hit him. She may have talked a fair bit of nonsense over the phone, but she did mention something about a survival manual and a devil fruit in his bag pack. He looked over the bed and lo and behold, a duffel bag. A Nike one at that, his most hated brand. Fuck you, bloody mary.

As he opened the bag, he saw two things. The first thing was a book that clearly read "INSTRUCTION MANUAL" with a smooch sign from the cover. Yep. Aunt Mary's. Confirm plus chop. And then he saw a bright swirly fruit with a note attached to it. Now, Kane was very hungry due to that old witch strapping him to bed and not allowing him to leave. He did not think for a second to read the note when he took a huge bite out of the fruit.

Normally, people say when you are hungry, anything tastes good. The devil fruit changed all of that for Kane. How bad? Well, make a soup out of water and 1000 spoonfuls of salt. Now put 1000 pieces of bitter leaves inside. It wouldn't even get close to how horrible the devil fruit tasted. Kane found himself wincing and choking down the fruit with tears starting to come out of his eyes.

_Tears are weakness. Knock it off, unless you want another._

Kane remembered that quote very well, from his grandfather, who wanted Kane to be free of all weaknesses. But he couldn't remember more of those details now Luffy suddenly burst into the room with a huge grin on his face, a blonde man wearing a suit with the most peculiar eyebrows along with an orange haired girl.

"You are coming with us! That's Sanji and that's Nami, by the way" Luffy suddenly said while pointing to his 2 companions.

"Wait, so this is the new crew member you were talking about? How about Chopper?" Sanji said

"Who cares, I'm gonna take both! He seems fun!" Luffy said happily as Kane glared at him.

"What the hell, I didn't even say anything about joining your crew!" He shouted in rage as he hardened into metal. Literally.

"Well, the devil fruits identity was certainly revealed. Metal metal fruit, I guess. Cool." Kane thought.

"WHOAAAA! AMAZING!" Now Luffy had stars in his eyes as he looked at Kane's metallic arm.

"Well, good luck stopping him now that he has seen that," smirked Sanji, half-amused at Kane's hostility, knowing that it will all be useless to Luffy.

"Yep, Luffy doesn't know the meaning of 'no' " Nami added, trying not to laugh while Kane was giving them the death stare.

_"Oh, you'll join them, or you will be stuck in a time loop which will bore you into joining them" _Mary's words rang in Kane's mind as he debated whether to join them. However he refused to give in.

"I said no, do I have to say it again..? Blockhead. "Kane coldly said, earning a glare from Sanji and an uneasy look from Nami

"Come, Kane! You will have a family!" Luffy joyfully said, oblivious to Kane's look of surprise when he heard the last word.

_Family.._ Thinking about it, he never had much of a family. His mother was always out at work, while his father had abandoned the family, leaving only his grandfather, who was an alcoholic. In fact, the only one was closest to being his family was Aunt Mary. This Luffy character did know to push the right buttons to invoke his emotions. However, he refused to give in and gave Luffy the coldest look he could muster and said "Fuck you".

As if he didn't hear what Kane said, or he read Kane's face of silent longing, Luffy ignored him and pulled him along to a sled with the reindeer, who whimpered at the sight of Kane, clearly not recovered from his earlier fright

"WAIT! My BAG!" Kane screamed

"Huh? You' re wearing it,"Sanji said curtly, not pleased with his earlier show of disrespect. It was only because Luffy did not show a reaction that he didn't kick Kane's face in.

Sure enough, the duffel bag was slung at Kane's shoulder. Kane immediately deduced that it might been an enchantment by Bloody Mary to prevent him from losing that bag. While Luffy was chatting with Nami about how he "beat up" a fat king named Wapol, Kane was musing over that word Luffy said. _Family_. Doctorine also said that. Suddenly, a feeling of longing settled in his chest.

"The Merry! We're going to have a party! TWO new crew members! Shi shi shi shi!" Luffy shouted and burst with his infectious laughter as he sighted the Going Merry.

While Kane still wanted to dispute that idea, part of him told him to wait, to see how this played out. Suddenly, gasps were heard as Sanji said "You're smiling!"

"No I'm not, what are you talking about?" Kane said with his hostile tone as he dismissed their claims of him smiling. Sanji and Nami, however, were smirking,

"Come, Kane, come introduce yourself to my friends!" Luffy said as he held out his hand towards Kane.

Whatever it was, it was a new journey that Doctorine indirectly told him to take. It was a new life, a proper _family._ Just this time, he was going to try to take a chance. He found himself taking Luffy's hand for a new journey. In another dimension, a certain witch found herself smiling at her nephew's progress. Slowly but surely, he is warming.

**There it is, my second chapter. Now, I did skip Luffy fighting wapol. That was because Mr Kane was sleeping and still recovering from his near death experience to actually know what the hell was going on. Well, this is my night present to all of you. I sincerely hope you have enjoyed this. Please read and review for any high points, mistakes, ideas, pairings I should correct/do. Hope you enjoyed it! I also apologize if it's pretty draggy, but i felt his gradual change in emotion, and his decision was very important to the story. Also, I havent decided whether i want this series to end while One Piece is still continuing. Should I write it till the end, or should I stop somewhere in the middle(e.g timeskip etc etc etc) Toodles~~  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Warming a cold heart chapter 3**

**Hello people! I have to apologize for the slight delay on updating this chapter. I was extremely exhausted yesterday coming back from school. Not to mention I was pretty stressed because of nearing deadlines, exams etc etc. Anyway, the Alabasta arc is starting. However, this chapter is more of interaction, giving me a little time to properly plan for the arc or things might go horribly wrong. Anyway, as usual, RnR, and enjoy!**

Aunt Mary was pacing around nervously. She knew she had screwed up. While her enchantment and the time loops and all that were genius, she overlooked a fatal flaw with the spell which could endanger her nephew, or worse, disallow Kane to ever re-enter this world again. She had mis-worded the enchantment for the _time_ of Kane's departure from the One Piece world. Originally, Kane was supposed to depart at the timeskip. That was written in the manual she had given Kane. However, things had changed. Instead of wording the spell such that Kane would depart from the world at the timeskip, she enchanted it to force Kane to stay there until it ends. Worse still, the only way Kane could contact her was to actually call her, as calling or contacting Kane would result in a massive energy loss, or death. Dimension magic is by its nature, one of the most taxing disciplines in the schools of magic afterall.

"Sorry, my sweet."Aunt mary quietly muttered, her tone full of worry and regret.

Kane was less than happy. While he appreciated, no, _temporarily accepted_ Luffy's hand, he found that the crew were not so willing. Sanji had tattled to them about his treatment of Luffy, and that incited a fair bit of unhappiness and anger among the crew. The only one that was friendly to him was Luffy. While Zoro liked Kane's sharp, down to earth nature, he mistrusted him because of his sinister and cold intelligence. While Kane was on the deck, Zoro would usually be the one who will keep one eye opened to watch him and make sure that he wasn't up to anything sinister.

While Kane was aware of the mistrust among the crew, he had more important things to concentrate on- to survive in the one piece world. The instruction manual itself were not very helpful(at least to his eyes) either.

_1. Don't follow Luffy. Trouble follows him._

_2. Remember your chemistry lessons._

_3. Don't do anything stupid._

_4. Use your wits._

_5. Every element has a weakness(see page 54)_

As if he knew what the second line was about. Then, it hit him. He was_ metal._ His chemistry knowledge would help him a great deal, as he would know how to form alloys to make himself much stronger. Also, he remembered that metal, by its nature, was poisonous. Excessive metal poisoning would kill. Not to mention mercury poisoning. However, he filed this information for a later date, hearing Luffy calling for him.

"KANE! DINNER! DINNERR!" Luffy screamed at Kane, who was resting in his hammock.

Kane was heavily annoyed when he went in and found the strawhats(except Luffy, he was doing something strange with the chopsticks) silently studying him like a dangerous specimen.

"Wow. How welcoming." Kane muttered sarcastically as he spotted Zoro who had one hand on his sword.

However, Kane didn't care. He was extremely hungry and immediately started to savagely tear into his food once Luffy showed him his seat.

"No… No… Not another bottomless pit.. What's with food and devil fruit users?!" Sanji grumbled, clearly miffed that now he had not one, but _two _bottomless pits. Thankfully though, Kane's savage eating stopped fast enough to relieve Sanji immensely.

"Anyway, Kane is lonely and nice, so talk to him okay!" Luffy suddenly said, clearly ignoring the tense atmosphere that was emanating in the room.

While Kane felt thankful(not that he would admit it) that Luffy chose to stand up for him in his own way, he expected the atmosphere would grow even more tense. However, the unthinkable happened.

"So, how old are you?"

"Sanji said you have a devil fruit? What is it?... Metal?! SUGEIIII!"

"HEY KANE! WANNA CHECK THIS COOL THING OUT?!"

The atmosphere of mistrust was finally lifted, with that single sentence of Luffy. While Kane stood there stoned and trying to answer all the questions the crew had for him, he was awed by the undying loyalty and trust the crew had for their captain. Such loyalty such that a single sentence was enough for most of them to open up to him. While he tried to answer all of these questions as best as he could(even the dumb ones), he noticed all the questions were not forced, they were sincere. Even the ones from Zoro and Usopp(although he told mostly lies).

"So, where to next..?" Kane suddenly asked Nami, trying to draw their attention away from him as they started invading his personal space.

"Alabasta, we're following the eternal pose." Nami replied.

While Kane was accepting the fact that he was in the One Piece world and here to stay, he wasn't sure where he was going to fit in all of this. Will there be new 'enemies' made just for him..? Or will the storyline go as normal. Or worse, will he cause a paradox if he significantly changed the story? These questions kept burning in his mind. After all, there were STRICT guidelines in the manual for these things, telling him the events that he must not change. The death of ace, the breaking up of the crew, among others.

A few days later, a terrible thing happened. Not marines, not Baroque works agents. It was a matter of food. That cursed bottomless pit _just had to eat all the rations._ Not that the other crew members were totally innocent. And they were still _days _away from Nanohana, the port town of Alabasta. However, instead of insulting Luffy as he would usually did, he simply sighed, knowing that he would have to get used to it, and the fact that he did not want another atmosphere of mistrust like before.

After witnessing beatdowns, Carue(the retarded duck) being used as a bait, an interesting thing suddenly happened. A crossdresser was suddenly hauled on deck. Immediately, Kane did not have a good feeling about this man, although the crew took to him very well for his insanity and his cloning devil fruit(Hot damn, Nami). Although Kane appreciated his show of Nami's features(fucking puberty), he had an uneasy feeling about the man as his devil fruit was perfect for subterfuge and spying. After he left the ship with a tearful farewell, Vivi then remembered the description of Mr 2(Vivi told him about baroque works and their hierarchy) which was exactly like the crossdresser and fearfully told them how she saw her father's face, who was the King of Alabasta.

_Do not be afraid to kill if necessary, Kane. I expect you to do better in the next round_

"We should have killed him. He could betray our position." Kane said seriously.

While Zoro nodded slightly, the others opposed the idea of killing, especially Luffy. Kane then turned away, giving up on the fact that the crew(besides zoro), could digest the idea of killing being necessary in times of need. Especially for this man, who could be a dangerous enemy if he used his skills effectively. However, Zoro thought of something clever(how unlikely), for the crew to wear white cloths on their wrists so that they wouldn't be easily fooled by that crossdresser. Also, he regretted that he didn't watch more of the story as he could really use the information to his advantage. Not to mention he was starving. It was FOUR days without a proper meal.

As if fate was suddenly on their side a large.. cat..? suddenly emerged from the water. Naturally, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Kane went to face this large fish, knowing that this would be the solution to their food crisis, until that (scum)Vivi started lecturing about how that creature was sacred. Luffy started to rip into her before Kane approached her.

"If we starve because of this 'sacred' bullshit.. I'll have your head.." Kane growled.

"Y-Yes, a-anyway, Nanohana is very close." Vivi stammered, those piercing blue eyes staring at her.

"There's no way to talk a woman you scumbag!" Sanji said before sending his boot flying into Kane's face, who just took it to stop the 'tense atmosphere'(Comical, actually).

Luffy was still grieving over the lost sea cat(food) while Nami told Vivi that they were nearing Alabasta judging from the weather. As if on cue, Baroque works ships suddenly appeared behind the Merry, confirming that they were reaching Alabasta. While the crew was debating whether to fight, Zoro and Sanji were the unlikely voices of reason as they maintained that the crew couldn't stray from their objective.

"Hey Kane! Wear this!" Sanji said to him with a smile.

While Usopp and Sanji were talking about the crossdresser, whose name was apparently Bon Clay and his powers. Kane wore the white cloth and remembered suddenly the final scene of this episode, which Kane couldn't help but look forward to. Usopp, being the coward that he was, started to talk nonsense about running away from opponents he couldn't beat while Sanji pointed out that he was thinking for himself. Chopper, with a new look of determination, declared that he would do his best

"I SEE THE ISLAND!" Luffy shouted, and everyone stood up, even Kane.

"We'll be stopping at Nanohana, we'll have to hide the ship," Vivi reminded

"YOSH! Whatever happens.. Hey Kane, come here!" Luffy said towards Kane.

All too familiar with this scene, Kane moved forward and held out his left hand, like the other straw hats, excitedly waiting for it to play out.

"Anyway, this left hand.. IS A MARK OF A NAKAMA!" Luffy proclaimed

"Now, let's get to shore! For FOOD! Oh, and Arabasta." Typical Luffy thinking with his stomach as the crew told him to sort out his priorities.

While Luffy was advised by Nami not to cause any trouble, Kane deliberately turned from his nakama, and just this one time, allowed his lips to curl.

**OK ITS DONE. Alright first and foremost I am so sorry if this chapter did not match up to the quality of the first two chapters, as I was extremely exhausted and writer's block many times throughout this chapter. Anyway, we're starting the Alabasta arc soon! Yay, woohoo, and all that. Anyway, I wish to thank all those reviewers who are keeping me going with their encouragement and motivation for this fanfiction. As usual, review on the mistakes/highs/lows of this chapter please really appreciate it. Also, I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter, and toodles~~~**


	4. Chapter 4

Warming a cold heart Chapter 4

**Hello guys what's up! Rocky's back, for now ahahaha! Anyway, this is a new chapter for Warming a cold heart, my main fanfiction. Anyway, we stopped at the very start of the Alabasta arc last chapter, where Mr Kane is currently bonding with the Strawhats. I had a horrible, horrible writer's block. It was quite a nightmare trying to start this chapter haha! Anyway, here it is! RnR, and I don't own one piece. It would be a disaster if I did, haha!**

"Ok guys, I'm only gonna say this just once, but be in your best behavior at all times!" Nami lectured, trying a fruitless attempt to rein in the more free-spirited people in the crew(especially the captain).

As expected, Luffy simply charged off the ship for food, leaving a trail of dust in his wake. Nami was livid, but was fairly calmed down when Sanji reassured her about Luffy's possible locations and signs of his presence(noise, trouble etc etc). Kane could only sweatdrop at that fact, remembering what Aunt Mary said in his manual.

_Luffy attracts trouble like how magnets attract iron. At best people would attempt to beat you up, steal from you. At worst, you will be killed when you're with Luffy. But don't worry, he'll protect you._

Well. That was helpful.

"Why don't you just search at a restaurant..?" Kane sighed incredulously, earning amazed looks from the other crew members as if it was a god-given revelation, which heavily annoyed him.

Vivi however, pointed out that she couldn't follow the crew members, as she would be instantly recognized among the citizens. She was the princess of Alabasta after all. While Sanji reassured her that he would give her food from the city, Carue suddenly yelped, pointing at a strange looking ship that had Mr 3 printed on it. Instantly, the crew realized that they had to come up with a plan, as they would be recognized. Usopp instantly came up with an idea.

As he explained it, Kane could only facepalm and say "Wouldn't that make us more obvious?"

"Well, do you have a better idea?" Usopp retorted with annoyance.

Kane could not answer as he reluctantly agreed. He wasn't exactly in a good mood either. While he knew the desert was hot(He did go to vacations in Texas when he was still in his old world), he didn't expect it to be _this bloody hot._ It felt like he was going to spontaneously combust any second. Then he remembered. Metal is a_ conductor of heat_. While he flipped his manual to find apt advice for the heat, he only found this.

_Wear sun-lotion when in the desert. Or grease yourself. =)_

How helpful.

Usopp then covered the whole crew with a huge cloth and instructed us to crawl(with Nami giving him a dirty look, which he immediate shrugged off, knowing that asking about it would immediately mean he owed more to that _crazy debt collector_.) While Usopp boastfully noted that the crew was unseen and would be able to move without standing out, Sanji simply sighed and stated the opposite. Sanji led the crew into a safe and hidden area, where they finally took the cloth off(much to Kane's relief, as he took off his shirt, barely able to stand the heat). While the long-nosed idiot checked if the coast was clear(after everyone had already took it off), Sanji reassured Vivi, who looked to be deep in thought, that they would be unseen. Kane was already close to collapsing(much to Chopper's concern).

"Are you alright, Kane? You looked dazed and breathless." Chopper asked with concern, noting the early symptoms of heatstroke.

"No.." Kane said as he fainted, to everyone's surprise.

When Kane awoke, he found himself being washed with water by Chopper, who had to take care of his body temperature. He also found that his clothes was changed. He was wearing a white sweatshirt, and a pair of beige jeans. While he enquired to Chopper about this, Chopper simply explained that it was to reduce the heat he was absorbing. Chopper also sternly told him to constantly drink a lot of water to maintain his body heat, which Chopper could barely control, due to the nature of his devil fruit.

"Go see the others outside! They've been really worried sick about you! Especially Luffy. He hasn't eaten since he saw you like this. If you feel dizzy or breathless, see me." Chopper said to Kane who was leaving the room.

"Kane! You're fine!"

"Don't scare us like that!"

"Don't do that to our captain ever again

While Kane was still dazed and relatively frustrated that he was going to be a liability in this desert, he noticed a newcomer to the crew. This new comer had one of the most ripped bodies he had ever seen, judging from that bare chest. He also had noticeable freckles on his face.

Before he could ask about his identity, Luffy instantly pulled him aside and introduced him to his brother, who… Politely… Greeted Kane and introduced himself as Ace.

"Are you really his brother? Well, couldn't you teach Luffy some manners and self-control, at least? God knows how many times we've gotten into trouble due to his blunt nature and recklessness." Kane sighed and hoped for a sense of sanity of Ace. Also, he was skeptical, and hoped to bait Ace with this question. Luffy was always so trusting, and his crew trusted his every word.

"Well, that's one of the reasons why I'm always worried for him, eh? He's always been like that since he was a kid! Did I tell you the time when.." Ace continued telling Kane stories about Luffy, which immediately confirmed that this man was indeed Luffy's brother, albeit a polite person.

"Luffy's in good hands. I know what you did. You were looking if I was an impostor, weren't you? Don't worry, I'm very much Luffy's brother. Every crew needs a man like you, who works to protect the crew from within the shadows." Ace ended, grinning at a dumbfounded Kane.

"I don't work for anyone, much less this band of idiots," Kane scoffed.

"Oh you care for them, more than you know. The crew has told me lots about you. Take care of my brother, okay?" Ace said with his stupid grin, while Kane simply sighed and nodded, making a promise he was surely going to regret.

While Kane was musing over Ace's words, he immediately heard a familiar shout.

"We've reached shore!"

"We're finally gonna walk on the desert!"

Kane immediately groaned, knowing his weakness to heat. However, Nami simply smiled and said Chopper had it covered. He sidelined 2 full barrels of water just for Kane, knowing his vulnerability to heat stroke in the searing hot desert.

"You do want to guard it from Luffy, though." Nami noted, much to Kane's nervousness.

While Kane was preparing for his journey, he found himself facing a.. Dugong, which immediately punched him in the face. Livid, Kane started to beat on the unfortunate Dugong, who was a bloody mess afterward, only to find a whole tribe behind him.

Vivi only could sigh and say, "They think they're now your disciples."

Kane was angered at his unluckiness. He glared at those Dugongs with his familiar cold glare, which chased them away to a new master. Luffy. That idiot.

"Wow. If looks could kill, that would." Ace said, growing even more wary of Kane. He wasn't sure if Luffy was in safe hands after all, after sensing such a dangerous aura from Kane.

"Don't worry, he's not all that bad. Even though he has a frightening glare and all, he is pretty soft. You just need to know where to look." Nami reassured, while Ace raised an eyebrow.

After the Dugongs were chased off(after bribing them with supplies, much to the crew's distaste) , the crew then began the long walk through the desert, to Yuba. Kane couldn't resist.

"Why are we going to Yuba? I thought the deal was just to escort Vivi to Arabasta?" Kane asked Nami, who looked incredulous at first, and was more relaxed when she remembered that Kane was spending the time collapsed the whole conversation with Vivi.

"Huh? Oh, to stop the civil war. Vivi wants to resolve this without casualties, so she's going there to talk to the leader of the rebels, to try and stop the civil war from happening," Nami explained, earning a skeptical look from Kane.

"She thinks she can stop years of hate by _talking_? She's a fool if she thinks that she can resolve this situation by simply _talking. _Not to mention the sheer influence of Crocodile, who is hailed as a hero. This is a foolish mission, doomed to failure, and might worsen the situation if the rebels take it as a sign of weakness! It might not stop the war, but accelerate it!" Kane said incredulously, earning a hush from Nami, who could not help but agree with Kane.

"Well, along this journey, I'm sure she would see sense and drop her naïve view," Nami said, hoping to stall Kane's impending outburst towards Vivi.

"Have it your way." Kane conceded, hoping it was true, knowing the amount of lives at stake because of a young princess's mission.

_Naivete is the bane of many of the young and promising. Remember that, Kane._

Kane could only grimly sigh, as the straw hats came across a bunch of ruins, earning a gasp from Vivi.

"This, was Erumalu, and once known as the Green City. This city signifies the damage Baroque works has done, and just how the people of Arabasta are suffering from their actions," Vivi said, pointing at a wasteland of ruins.

As the straw hats walked through the ruins, Vivi detailed Erumalu at it's former glory and how it was once lush with green plants. Until the King was set up by Baroque Works agents, who planted and used Dance Powder to make rain fall on Alubarna, dooming other cities such as Erumalu to severe drought. As such, the people was angry, and the rebellion started.

"All with the careful hand of Crocodile and Baroque Works. What is he after? The throne? No, who wants to be a king of such a broken land? There must be something else he's after." Kane whispered , pondering the subject.

"The citizens continued to wait, desperate with hope, waiting for a miracle that never came. People grew suspicious of the king, and fighting broke out. The city was abandoned as people fled to oases for water and survival." Vivi said grimly, detailing the terrible situation Arabasta was in.

Kane, however, couldn't help but ponder that Crocodile was after something else, not the throne. Something he would only gain access to if he had the throne. He was going to bring it up, if not for the sudden wailing wind, which sounded suspiciously like crying. Suddenly, Luffy ran and shouted about a possibility of a survivor, only to find the bones of a person who obviously died from the severe conditions of the desert.

"What have my father and my people ever done? Why? Crocodile! I will never forgive that man!" Vivi screamed in despair as she held the skull of the dead man in her hands.

While Kane sympathized with Vivi for her plight, he could not help but be convinced that this was a fruitless mission, as she was trying to convince not only the leader of the rebellion, but thousands of men who suffered under the plight that she described, to stop rebelling. Even if Crocodile was defeated, he could not help but think that even that might not be effective. Crocodile was hailed as a _hero_ among the people. It would take_ hard proof _to accuse him of these atrocities. That, and the fact that these people have been convinced for _years_ that it was the fault of the king. Even then, Kane was convinced that bloodshed would happen_._ It's hard to erase years of hatred after all. However, he decided to himself he would find the hard proof to incriminate Crocodile. While he was not skilled at fighting, he was skilled at subterfuge and spying, something that his grandfather taught him all those years ago.

All of a sudden, a building was brought down. Kane immediately turned his arm to mercury, hoping to shoot and poison the enemy, only to find that it was _Luffy._

"Why am I not surprised," Kane facepalmed, as he did want to test his abilities.

While Ace dug a grave, Zoro only said, "You guys are such kids," while Luffy, Sanji and Usopp walked towards Vivi with determined expressions.

After they buried the man, Luffy said, "We do have to keep moving forward. Let's go, to Yuba."

"That's where the rebel army is, right?" Zoro asked.

"Yes, and I'll persuade the Leader to stop the uprising," Vivi said confidently, causing Kane to shake his head, and Zoro to raise an eyebrow.

"All the catastrophes has been caused by crocodile!" Vivi added, much to Kane's distaste.

"You are naïve and stupid if you think it'll be so easy, Vivi," Kane said bluntly, earning dirty looks and a twitch from Vivi.

"What was that?" Vivi said, her eyes full of murder.

"Nevermind, you'll see if they will really accept the explanation of a young girl to stop years of hatred, bitterness, betrayal. Much less the daughter of the King, whom they thought betrayed them to starvation and death," Kane said as-a-matter-factly.

"You!" Vivi said venomously.

"Kane, stop it," Ace said sternly. While Ace understood and agreed with what Kane said, this was bad timing.

"Yeah, whatever, okay," Kane conceded.

While the crew wanted to dispute with Kane about what he said, they couldn't help but think about it.

Luffy, who recognized the problem and knew this was very bad timing, as Vivi was unstable, desperate and full of despair, could only say, "Anyway, let's go"

The crew agreed and followed, looking forward to the road ahead.

**OMG. I have did it. I finished this chapter. I'm so, so sorry. I was gone for more than 3 weeks on this fanfic. Writer's block was a bitch. I couldn't get past the first paragraph until now omg. Anyway thanks for reading! Anyway, please give me suggestions and advice on making longer chapters and making the story flow faster. Reading it, I'm really afraid of the possibility of it being draggy and boring. Anyway, thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! RnR, and Toodles~~~~**

**Alice In Chains - Man in the Box**


	5. Chapter 5

Warming a cold heart Chapter 5

**Oho, wow. I don't really know how to outdo my chapter 4(For me, it's my best writing to date). Anyway, hope you enjoy Mr Kane's latest exploits! I have to say say, your kind reviews ARE keeping me going! Anyway, we left off when Mr Kane ripped into Vivi, and the Straw Hats are going to Yuba to stop a war. In this chapter, Vivi will be a little OOC. RnR if you liked it.  
**

It has been a few days since that incident. Vivi still refused to talk to Kane(not like he cared), but the crew's confidence in him was dented. Worse, Luffy was also more withdrawn from him. Kane could only talk to Ace, Nami, and Zoro who understood Kane's intentions but had chastised him multiple times about the timing of his outburst. Kane, disturbed from this situation, secluded himself from the crew(much to Luffy's concern).

"What an amazing night.." Kane whispered to himself as he looked at the numerous stars that dotted the sky, giving it an incredible view.

"So, why did you join Luffy's crew? You don't seem the kind to follow anyone." Ace suddenly asked as he sat beside Kane(he needed a short break from the Straw Hat's insanity). Also, he was curious as to how his little brother manage to charm someone like Kane to join him.

"I don't know, it just.. happened. One time, I was alone and suddenly this idiot and his stupid grin just asked me to join a family.. It was.. I don't know, too good an offer to refuse?" Kane said, conflicted.

"Although, if I had known what I would be getting myself into.." Kane added with a tinge of amusement as he recalled the numerous times he acted as a mediator and voice of reason to the frequent moments of madness among the crew. Not to mention the trouble magnet.

"Well then, why don't you just leave if you have regrets?" Ace asked, trying to test Kane's loyalty to Luffy, which he had to confirm.

"And go where? It's not like I have another home. In a way, that idiot saved me from a life of bore" Kane replied, bitter that his Aunt Mary dropped him into a world where he was totally alone, and had nothing to start with. No friends, no home, only a phone number.

Ace was dumbstruck. It sounded eerily familiar to when Luffy won him over after being tortured by bandits. Unsure how to reply to that, he left Kane, patting his back for comfort. Kane immediately chastised himself for telling Ace about his troubles, but could not help but feel a sense of comfort – he now had someone to listen, someone at least as sane as he was.

_"Grandpa would be pissed_" Kane thought, as he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found himself breathing in sand. Kane started to panic, remembering that a sandstorm happened in this episode of One Piece. Dread began to fill his mind, as he started flinging his hands about to try and get out to the surface. Suddenly, a hand finally brought him out of his peril, as he faced a relieved but an angry Luffy.

"WHAT THE HELL GUYS! DIDN'T ANY OF YOU WAKE KANE UP FOR THE STORM?! ISNT HE YOUR NAKAMA?" Luffy shouted, having enough of his crew's distaste of Luffy.

Kane simply sighed, expecting this to happen someday, but didn't feel angry.. But hurt..? So many times, he silently broke up catastrophes waiting to happen, pointless arguments into exploding into huge fights, and many other things. Ace too looked heavily disturbed, while the other crew members looked very guilty, especially Vivi.

"Didn't I ask you to wake him up, Vivi?" Ace asked, while Vivi simply turned away in shame, answering Kane's impending questions.

That alone was enough to send Kane into a rage. He started ranting and raving, but one sentence hurt Luffy the most, "I thought I trusted you all!"

Luffy had to intervene. He pulled aside Kane, and started saying, "Im sorry, okay? I will make sure nothing like this happens again.

" And Vivi, make sure this doesn't happen again. Kane might have said many things to anger you, but this does not mean you just leave him buried alive." Luffy said sternly, with an air of a.. Captain, while Vivi simply hung her head.

Zoro simply smiled. This was why he followed Luffy. Sanji simply grunted. Kane, could not help but sigh and continue following Luffy. In a way however, this experience helped Kane. He had found a new purpose. Not simply to survive, but to protect the 'family'. To be one to hold the 'family' together. To be the one who protects it from the shadows. And he would not tolerate those who 'divide' the 'family'. Ace simply had to chuckle at this development.

Then, something disastrous happened. Luffy lost many supplies. To find out that_ birds _were the one who took it seemed to tick him off. While Kane tried to restrain him, he just mindlessly ran, causing Kane to simply facepalm. Something would happen. He knew it. His questions were answered when Luffy came back with a camel, and giant fanged lizard chasing him. What a trouble magnet. While Kane sighed, he knew this would be the chance to test his abilities. Kane and the monster trio then pummeled the giant lizard(causing the other crew members to feel pity for the lizard). While the heat was unbearable, Kane found that conducting heat may be an advantage in a battle as hot metal is deadly. He did need to work on his physical strength though. He was going to see Zoro about that. Needless to say, with Ace adding another lizard to the mix, their food supplies were essentially replenished.

The camel, was another matter. The _perverted _camel, even when suffering numerous beatdowns from the male members, just _refused _to accept males. For the sake of 'chivalry', as Chopper translated. This caused Kane to give him the coldest glare, which instead of making the camel get second thoughts, the camel merely ran away, with Vivi(their guide through this desert), and Nami(the one who at least has a sense of direction). Not to mention Ace was missing(good luck to him).

Days later, with supplies being at an all time low, Luffy just had to go crazy. Usopp explained with a sweatdrop that he couldn't stand the heat anymore, and drank some fishy cacti water which caused hallucinations. Luckily, Chopper was on hand to give tranquilizers before Luffy did something even more insane. And, there was the extra dead-weight to carry(which Kane grudgingly agreed to drag). As they walked, a.. Pirate Ship..? Suddenly 'sailed' past them. Luffy just had to be conscious and rocketed to that ship.

While Kane and the others chased after Luffy, they stumbled on the sand dune they were running down and just fell facefirst, and slid down the dune. Meeting some weird guys who wore umbrella, and reuniting with the girls, Kane opted to just stay out of the action. For just one time, while he watched from the sidelines to guard the crew from inner threats(he also needed a break from insanity).

After leaving the Sand Pirates(who was surprisingly nice people), the strawhats continued their journey, also making their way past a village(who had fake rebels guarding them), which Kane was too embarrassed, unfortunately to recount. He could not bring himself to say anything as he ran with the other straw hats from the village.

A few days after the village, the Straw Hats were already growing more insane from the searing heat the desert brought upon them. Kane was already halfway towards finishing his second barrel of water(after resupplying), which was bad. While he couldn't drink anymore(he rationed it), he started laughing when he saw the boys just fighting each other over who gets the water, causing Ace to flash him a smile.

While he was deep in thought, Sanji just came and exclaimed, "NAMI SAN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOME?" as he carried a pincer of a scorpion.

While Kane and the boys just ravenously tore into the food, Vivi and Nami seemed visibly disturbed(girls…) and immediately left the area with the camel, causing the boys to wonder what exactly she was pissed about. Food is food.

After a few days, Ace decided to part ways. Ace apparently found out from a bounty hunter named Scorpion, that Blackbeard(the man Ace was hunting), was not in Arabasta. As such Ace had little reason to actually stay in Arabasta.

"Luffy, the next time we meet is at the Summit. Come to the top!" Ace proclaimed, giving Luffy a piece of paper(Kane recognized it to be a Vivre Card).

"YEAH!" Luffy exclaimed

Suddenly, Ace appeared in front of Kane, who was watching from relatively afar.

"Take care of my brother, okay? Protect him for me." Ace said, while Kane simply nodded, not sure why Ace singled him out to ask that.

It was an unforgettable sunset, as Ace suddenly disappeared, and the straw hats pondered whether they would see Ace again. Kane knew what would happen, but the manual had _strictly_ forbade him to change that event.

That night, Vivi came up to Kane.

"Uh, I'm sorry for what happened, okay?" Vivi apologized, full of guilt and regret over what happened.

"Hmph.. Okay, whatever. I'm not good at these kind of things anyway. If you don't get your act together however, it won't be so easy to forgive you. Understand?" Kane said, glaring at Vivi, who nodded. Nami couldn't resist but smirk.

The next morning, something terrible happened. Luffy was in his cactus fits again, and Chopper wasn't really fit enough to sedate Luffy(he was weakened from the heat). Kane wasn't faring much better. He was literally dragging himself along. Nami then blackmailed Zoro into taking care of Luffy(Zoro had a debt), while Kane volunteered to go along with Luffy, which Sanji agreed. As much as he felt uneasy with Kane, Kane was one of the only people who could tolerate and really control Luffy's insanity (to a certain extent). Although the reality was that Kane couldn't keep up. He was already nearly passing out from the heat. While Zoro was trying to control Luffy, Kane's vision was blurring. He was lucky however, when Chopper took out a bottle and poured water on Kane's head.

Chopper also went and woke up Zoro and Luffy, who was stuck in.. a strange position. Kane was too tired to laugh, as he and Chopper woke them up and pulled them out of the sand.

"Where are the others?" Zoro asked, wondering where the others went. Kane instantly let out a groan.

"They were gone when I woke up." Chopper innocently replied. Another groan was heard.

"Nevermind, we can just follow them via their footprints," Zoro said, as wind began to pick up.

"…. What footprints?" Kane had to ask, inciting a awkward silence among them as they realized just how screwed they were.

"Hey Kane! Pick up the pace a little!" Zoro shouted to Kane, who was dragging his feet across the sand.

"I'm trying, you knobhead." Kane grumbled.

Zoro simply grunted and offered his shoulder to Kane, who was too tired and weakened to decline. Then something happened. When Luffy spotted shelter, Kane could only open his mouth in surprise as he was flung into the cave and smashed facefirst into the cave wall. He was lucky he had the Metal-Metal fruit, or his skull would have been smashed. Instead, he smashed through the cave wall(half way). As he struggled to wriggle his way back into the cave, he started shouting at Luffy not to rocket others without warning, which made Zoro and Chopper sweatdrop and nod, while Luffy just simply laughed it off.

As if it couldn't get any more thrilling, Zoro fell through a rock. Luffy, just climbed down the hole. Kane however, went down in an even more embarrassing way. He jumped from his rock to the ground, only to fall through and fall on his ass on a block of stone. Luffy fell over laughing while Kane shot him an extremely venomous look. While the group was wondering where the hell they were, Chopper noted that they were in a dome.

"Isn't that a pony… A pony glyph, or something like that?" Kane wondered out loud, pointing towards the block of stone, which had markings. Chopper could only shrug.

Luffy then tried to find ways to get out of the place(after Zoro knocked some sense into the whining captain), and brought down the whole place.

"What the hell are you doing..?" Kane was asking, while avoiding the rocks falling, while Luffy retracted his arm in triumph.

"Don't worry, I have a plan." Luffy said calmly, while walking towards the pillar.

Kane had a very bad feeling about this. Luffy then coiled his right arm around the pillar. Kane then realized what was happening and let out a groan. Why, of all escapes, this?

"Hold on! Kane! What're you waiting for!" Luffy shouted as Kane held on, clenching his teeth in dread and shivering. Zoro noticed this, and silently smirked.

"GOMU GOMU NO ZENMAI(spring)!"Luffy shouted, while he rocketed the other three out of the cave, going high into the air.

Kane turned blue, then green, and eventually white when Luffy said, "How would I know?" after Chopper asked about the _landing._ A sense of dread enveloped Kane when they were descending. He made a silent promise to injure(kill) Luffy someday for making him experience this horror of a ride as his head drove into the ground. Thank the devil fruit he survived.

"Scared of heights, are ya?" A deep voice snickered and pulled him off the ground, causing Kane to go red.

"Shut up, blockhead." Kane replied awkwardly, causing Zoro to laugh.

And by some miracle, the wind changed as sun began to set. Chopper then caught the scent of Nami and the others, much to Kane's relief. They were almost out of supplies, and Kane wasn't sure if they could navigate the desert under the lead of those two idiots, especially one who would probably get lost going to a room next door.

A few minutes later of running, they finally caught up to Nami, who looked really impressed and was smiling at her captain for finding his way.

"Come on, Luffy. We''re very close to Yuba right now!" Vivi said, motivating the others to pick up the pace.

Kane, especially looked very relieved. He would finally be getting a rest soon. After this arc, he would make sure to go to Zoro to help him with his physical training. A few days after, Yuba was sighted. Vivi could only look in horror as she saw Yuba being attacked by a sandstorm.

"We can only go forward. Lets get this over with," Kane said, placing his hand on Vivi's shoulder. Much to everyone's surprise. It was the nicest they've seen of Kane.

Kane looked at them angrily and said, "Well, just go!"

As the Strawhats approached the oasis, they saw a miserable sight, to which Vivi looked in horror.

"That's dried up." Kane said bluntly.

"This isn't much better than Erumalu!" Zoro exclaimed.

While they moved forward, they coud not help but notice the form of an old man trying to dig up the oasis, which was levelled by the sandstorms which struck the oasis, as explained by the old man. Kane could not help but pity the man, who was trying to dig up even a droplet of water for hope, if nothing else.

When Vivi enquired about the rebels, the old man could only said they left.

" As I feared. Who would want to make a base in this ravaged wasteland?" Kane said, causing the old man to hang his head as he remembered the former glory of Yuba.

"Anyway, without the former commerce this city provided, the rebels abandoned this land to Katorea" The old man said.

"Can I rest, please?" Kane said, deducing that the information was all he needed.

The old man motioned to a building, "There you can have your rest, I think you've earned it after this long journey."

Kane simply nodded and headed to the building, where he collapsed on the bed, blissfully unaware of the pillow war that was going to happen among the straw hats. When he woke up, he found himself being dragged by Zoro across the desert.

"Man, you sleep like a rock." Zoro simply said as he noticed Kane waking up.

"Whaatt" Kane groggily said as he stood up and walked.

Suddenly, Luffy sat down.

"I give up."Luffy pouted, much to the confusion of everyone presence. Kane, however smirked and knew what was going to happen(he does remember some stuff he watched)

"I want to beat the hell out of Crocodile! But do you think the rebels will stop, huh? We are pirates. Do you think we can do anything in Katorea? You don't want anyone to die. You are going up against a million people and a Shichibukai. You don't want anyone to get hurt. Who are you kidding?" Luffy asked bluntly to Vivi. Kane simply winked at Zoro, who just sighed.

"What the hell is wrong with not wanting people not dying?" Vivi whined(as Kane put it).

"People die."Luffy said bluntly, as Vivi slapped Luffy, not accepting that simple fact.

"I'll never let you say that again! Well, that's what we are trying to prevent! Neither the Rebels or the Royal army are at fault! Why should they die?! Crocodile is at fault!"Vivi screamed, only for Luffy to punch her in the face and scream

"THEN WHY ARE YOU RISKING YOUR LIFE?"

Vivi, losing control, jumped on Luffy and raised her hand(Kane whistles here), beat down Luffy and said brokenly

"I have nothing else to risk.."

Luffy then held Vivi, and shouted, "Try risking our lives with yours! Aren' t we your friends?!"

Vivi, realizing what Luffy said, broke down while Luffy added, "You do cry after all. You're the one suffering the most, and you want to beat the crap out of him."

"So tell me, WHERE IS CROCODILE?!" Luffy proclaimed.

Kane went close to the crying Vivi and said soothingly, "Now you don't need to carry the burden anymore, eh? For what it's worth, I'm sorry about that time."

"You didn't hear ANY of this." Kane added, glaring at a smiling Nami.

**OK IM DONE! AND SOON WE'RE GOING TO RAINBASE! I must say, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Fantastic stuff! Anyway, this arc is heating up! We're gonna meet Crocodile SOON! HOPE YOU GUYS ENJOYED IT! SEE YOU NEXT TIME! Toodles~~~~**

**A/N Man, I do need a beta reader.  
**

**Nirvana – Come As You Are**


	6. Chapter 6

Warming a cold heart Chapter 6

**Hello people! Thank you for all your support for this story. I must say, I'm very impressed with the reception this story is getting, considering I'm pretty much a beginner in fanfiction hahah. Anyway, we're going to meet Mr Croc' pretty soon, considering the strawhats just came out of Yuba. Rainbase awaits!**

"Luffy-san's right. We must go to where Crocodile is," Vivi conceded.

The Straw Hats immediately agreed, for they knew dealing with Crocodile before the war started would be the best way to limit the casualties, if nothing else. Kane finally cracked a smirk, knowing that Vivi would learn from this experience and not make other naïve decisions which may bring more harm than good. However, he could not stop being concerned. While he knew Luffy was strong, Crocodile was a _Shichibukai. _One of the men hired to keep the balance of power between the _Yonkou _and the _Marines_(Vivi explained the system to him the day earlier)_._ Also, he knew the Government was hell-bent on keeping the balance of power. They might just make Luffy and the crew a target for the _greater good._

Kane knew he had to pull some strings to make this a success without the war intensifying, or the Government sending men to rein in Luffy before he could be more of a threat. Hiding his concern, he managed to escape his thoughts just in time to see Vivi pointing to 'Rainbase' in the map and informing the crew that it was Crocodile's location. When they reached Rainbase, Kane was already dying for a drink. Luffy truly made sure that no one drank the water that the old man dug up, much to Kane's annoyance. Water was supposed to be drunk after all. However he let it slide, as a few minutes later, Rainbase was finally sighted.

While Zoro wondered aloud if Baroque Works knew that they were here, Nami pointed out that they already met Mr 2. Owing to Mr 2's cloning abilities, Usopp added that their faces would probably be already recognized, and they wouldn't be able to touch Crocodile if they ran around Rainbase(They'd probably be assassinated first).

"CROCODILE, COME OUT!" Luffy shouted, not listening to the previous conversation(Kane was not surprised).

"Anyway, I need water. I feel like I'm dying," Kane said angrily while Luffy readily agreed and ran through the city.

"WAIT, LUFFY!" Kane and Usopp shouted, exasperated.

Luckily, Kane and Usopp managed to catch up to Luffy, and finally came across a place which had water, named Sand Café. While noisily demanding water(Kane was polite), Kane suddenly noticed 2 people just sitting beside them. Why did they look so familiar..? However, there was no time to wonder as barrels of water came, and Kane did not think about anything else as he gorged down a barrel. As Kane drank his barrel(it was the best water he had ever drank), he overheard the two people talking about Luffy coming after Crocodile. Then it struck. They were _marines._

While pirates wouldn't be trusted, marines were a much different story. They would be perfect for incriminating Crocodile _without proof. _While Luffy and Usopp ran(after spitting their water on them), Kane chose to stay, to make a deal with the marines.

However, it went to hell, when the two marines decided to chase that rubber-brain, and Kane had no choice but to follow. He tried to follow the white-haired man, only to lose him. So, in the end, he chose to follow the bespectacled one, who ran into Zoro. It was priceless. Kane nearly fell over laughing watching Zoro(Zoro silently shot a death look at Kane). However, he had no time to continue as Zoro continued running, with the marine giving chase. Kane, groaning, did the same and met the other crew members at an entrance.

"Everyone! Let's go inside!" Luffy shouted, pointing at the door.

While Nami and Usopp(the 2 cowards of the crew) complained, Kane wasted no time as he ran inside, eager to see the very man Luffy was hunting. While they ran through the casino, They spotted a path which went off in 2 directions. Luffy(that stupid brain), just went into the path that had 'pirates' written on the directions. Kane had to follow however, to see how this played out(he knew it was a trap). Even the marine followed. Instantly, the ground opened, and they fell through the floor, much to Kane's displeasure.

Instantly, in the cage, Smoker(Kane finally remembered his name) attacked Luffy with his nasty Jutte, while Usopp made a petrified scream. While Luffy complained about himself getting weaker, Smoker explained that it was tipped with Kairouseki, a mineral which is of the sea. Kane understood that it was the weakness of all devil fruit users. Smoker also mentioned that the bars of the cage was made of Kairouseki as well, which disabled him from escaping since he was a devil fruit user as well.

"But not before crushing you before you escape to sea," Smoker growled.

"You stupid idiot, how are we going to go to sea? It's not like we can escape. Luffy's a devil fruit user, you are a devil fruit user, Crocodile's probably going to kill us before we escape. We know a little too much to be let alive anyway," Kane sighed, earning a growl of annoyance from Smoker, who couldn't disagree.

"That boy is right. So, why don't you get along?" A deep voice said with malice.

"_**Crocodile**_" Smoker uttered, which confirmed Kane's suspicions.

Usopp and Nami looked like they were going to piss, while Zoro merely smirked. Kane could only stare at the scarred, and well dressed man in the eyes, as he marveled at the aura this man was giving off. This was no joke. It was a Shichibukai, and they were captured. Oh well. Crocodile then started to commend Smoker for his suspicion and his caution against Crocodile, which proved to be right.

"So, you're Crocodile?" Kane said smoothly, eliciting a curt nod and a smirk from the man.

"You have guts, boy. And talent. I don't waste talent like you. Why don't you join me?" Crocodile asked.

"No thanks. I don't feel like serving under a slob like you," Kane said with distaste, causing Crocodile to laugh.

Then, Luffy started to punch the ground as he recognized the man, the man who made Vivi miserable, the man who caused much suffering in Arabasta.

"Hey you! Figghhtt mee…" Luffy shouted before losing his strength, as he was clenching the Kairoseki bars(Kane simply facepalmed).

"Straw hat. I applaud you for coming this far. I'm going to kill you, but please be patient. Our guest-of-honour is arriving." Crocodile said with an air of superiority, which Kane didn't like. He _hated_ to be humiliated. However, he had to hold his tongue, for his sake if nothing else.

Kane then felt there was no point in struggling(they were basically trapped anyway), so he basically leaned on the wall and slept.

"OI WAKE UP!" Someone shouted as he felt a fist smash into his face. That could only be one person. Nami.

"I swear, waking you up is a job." Nami grumbled as Kane struggled to go into consciousness as he felt terrible pain on his face. The demoness must have punched his face numerous times to wake him up. Not willing to incite her anger again, he merely stayed awake just in time for Vivi's arrival.

"He's a-a-a sandman!" Usopp stammered, talking about Crocodile's devil fruit powers, which was of the sand.

"Anyway, take a seat and watch. It's time to start the party! Am I right? Miss All-Sunday," Crocodile asked with a triumphant tone, to one of the hottest women Kane had ever seen.

"Yes. It's past 12! Operation Utopia has started." Miss All-Sunday said with a familiar silky smooth voice, with a touch of coldness.

"Operation Utopia? What the hell is that?!" Luffy asked.

"It is the death of this kingdom! And the blind love for it will be the one to destroy it! OPERATION UTOPIA HAS BEGUN!" Crocodile proclaimed, as if he was already victorious.

Kane, of course was extremely uncomfortable. He finally understood what Crocodile did. In using Dance Powder, he set up the Royal Palace, and started to breed anger among the populace. While the King had no clue what was going on, a rebellion was already taking place to 'save' Arabasta from 'tyranny'. And when the rebellion started, the King would have no choice but to protect his country from the rebels. But in doing so, he would further incite anger, as he would unknowingly be more recognized as a 'tyrant'. All this would also lead to the King's further humiliation, as Crocodile destroys the country by manipulating the people's love for the country. Smart plan. Now all Crocodile needed was a spark. But that can't be all of it, now can it? Kane had a nagging feeling there was something else in play here. Something Crocodile was after.

"WHAT IS OPERATION UTOPIA?!" Vivi screamed, her eyes covered with unshed tears. She could only watch helplessly as Crocodile explained his plan to destroy Arabasta.

Crocodile finally revealed that he sent Mr 2 to impersonate the king and provide the spark which would start the war, and Kane finally grimaced. There would be no way to stop the bloodshed anymore.

"What an evil plan," Nami whispered, finally realizing what was happening.

"The plan that _you_ helped set up is now in full bloom. Can you hear the shouting? Both sides only have one driving thought. _We will protect Arabasta…"_ Crocodile proclaimed, further humiliating Vivi, who couldn't take it anymore and started to scream.

"How could you be so.. Inhuman..?" Vivi uttered, barely controlling her anger.

Luffy was also angered, and charged into the cage in frustration, as he watched a friend broken by an evil man and not being able to do anything. Of course, the cage was still Kairouseki, and he quickly lost his strength. Kane simply sighed.

"What are you after? No one wants to be a king of a broken land like this. You are after something else, something which you will only have access to with the throne." Kane asked, curious.

"Hmm, you _are _intelligent. Want me to tell you?" Crocodile said.

"How could we understand what's in your rotted head?" Vivi shouted in anger, much to Kane's distaste.

"Hmph, what a foul-mouthed princess," Crocodile smirked as Vivi fell off the chair and started to crawl towards the door.

"Hey, hey. What are you doing?" Crocodile said with a mocking tone.

"If I can reach Alubarna before the rebels do.. I can stop them! No matter what, I will never let you succeed!" Vivi squealed (as Kane put it).

Kane was beyond flustered. There was no stopping this plan anymore. He was relatively frustrated with Vivi, but he held his tongue. Nothing good would come out from an outburst. Crocodile, satisfied with the humiliation he caused Vivi, started to leave the room.

"What a coincidence. We were just starting to leave for Alubarna. If you would like to come along, come. Or… do you want to save them?" Crocodile said, brandishing a key out of his cloak.

"That key! Give it to me!" Luffy shouted to Crocodile. He could not stand waiting around anymore while his friend's country was on the brink of something they traveled this far to prevent.

"If you want to stop the rebellion, I'd recommend you go immediately, Miss Wednesday. Or.. Do you want to save them? Too bad I dropped it into the Bananawani Den though," Crocodile said mockingly as Vivi looked in horror.

Kane immediately realized the crocodiles around the room were moving.

"Those crocodiles couldn't be.." Kane said in horror as Crocodile laughed.

"I'm sorry I handled the key so carelessly. Anyway, you wouldn't tell which one swallowed it," Crocodile said with mock sincerity, much to the strawhats' frustration.

"I have no use for this room anymore. In exactly one hour, this basement will self-destruct. Water will fill this room and it will sink to the bottom of Rainbase. So, who will you save? A million innocents? Or 4 pirates? Do you like gambling, princess? Also, have you ever wondered why so many sandstorms plague Yuba?" Crocodile maliciously said.

"You couldn't have.." Kane said in horror as Crocodile simply smiled and walked away.

"I will_ kill you._" Vivi said with bloodlust, while Crocodile chuckled.

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened and water started to fill the room. Kane would have loved to listen to Vivi's rant(Although it was becoming annoying), but she was drowned out by Usopp's screams.

Kane could only sigh and say, "Calm down.. Anyway, where's that blonde?"

He was ignored as Luffy shouted, "VIVI! GET US OUT OF HERE!"

As Crocodile further mocked Luffy about him fearing death (Kane snorted), Luffy simply replied, "If we die, WHO'S GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS?!"

"Don't get too cocky, boy." Crocodile said with malice.

"You are the_ boy."_ Luffy spat out the last word, as Crocodile smirked.

"If you want to stop the rebellion Vivi, now is the time to go. Either way, people will die." Crocodile further added, much to Vivi's despair.

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened and Kane saw the biggest creature he had ever seen climb out.

"Holy_ shit," _Kane cursed as he saw the Bananawani going after Vivi.

Vivi was quickly immobilized by the giant creature. As it was going to eat Vivi, a Den-Den Mushi rang. Miss All-Sunday answered it, and a familiar voice talked.

"Hello, hello, is this thing working?" Sanji called, much to Kane's surprise(he did not show it).

"Yes. Millions, is it?" Miss All-Sunday asked.

"Just spit it out. What happened?" Crocodile impatiently said.

"Ah, I heard that voice before. Thanks for calling. This is the shitty restaurant," The voice said(Kane facepalmed here. Couldn't Sanji be a bit more polite?)

"Shitty restaurant..?" Crocodile said, remembering something.

"It sounds like you remember. I'm flattered," The voice said.

"Shitty restaurant? Could it be.." Usopp started.

"SANNN-…." Luffy started to shout, only to be gagged by Kane's metal arm.

"Shut up! They don't know about him yet you numpty!" Kane whispered fiercely. Sanji was their only hope for survival.

"Who the hell are you? Where are you?" Crocodile asked.

"Mr Prince. Now, I can't tell you where I am. I'll be killed. I don't give out information stupidly. Unlike you, Mr 0," Sanji mocked. Kane could swear that the temperature had dropped at least 3 degrees

"PRINCE! SAVE USS!" Luffy and Usopp shouted.

"SHUT UP, YOU TWO!" Kane screamed bonking their heads.

"Anyway, it looks like my crew are with you after all! Well I guess I'll come and-" The transmission was suddenly cut off as a gunshot was heard.

"_Seriously, Sanji? _" Kane sighed, as the other crew members gasped in horror.

Crocodile only smirked as he continued walking towards the front door, to 'find out' what was happening(he was a casino owner). Vivi, realizing something, suddenly ran up the stairs.

"Vivi! What're you doing!" Luffy shouted.

"We still have time! I'm going to get help from outside!" Vivi replied, deftly dodging the Bananawani's strike, only for Crocodile to smother her with his abilities.

"Don't try anything dumb. If you love your friends so much, die here with them. Perhaps I'll bring that punk Mr. Prince here too.. As a corpse, that is!" Crocodile proclaimed, while Luffy could merely scream in frustration.

Dread began to fill Kane's gut. A sickening feeling settled in his chest as he started shivering. Was this fear..? Luckily, before he could be consumed by it, Vivi regained consciousness and declared that she would get help, much to Kane's relief. It'll be bad if he showed it in this situation.

"AAAAHH THE WATER! WE'RE GONNA DIE!" Luffy and Usopp screamed, while Nami tried to goad the bananawani into eating her hand.

"Bloody hell Nami, what are you doing?!" Kane asked, wondering how she got away with her hand intact.

"I'm trying to piss it off to make it bite the cage!" Nami said(Well that was a pretty good plan).

"COME AT ME YOU BANANA YOU! BANANA!"Luffy shouted.

The bananawani had enough as it bit the cage, only to break all of it's teeth. Kane could only open his mouth in horror. Just how hard was the bloody cage?

"Oi. Do you know Crocodile's intentions?" Smoker(who Kane almost forgot was with them).

"What of it?" Kane asked, wondering what Smoker wanted.

"That woman.. His partner.. Has been wanted by the Government for over 20 years. Her bounty was over 70,000,000. This is not about taking over a country anymore. The_ world_ is in danger." Smoker said, confusing Kane even more.

"Who cares, we just beat him up!" Luffy shouted, raising a fist.

"So, how are we going to get out of here?" Smoker asked curiously.

Luffy and Kane could only look in horror as the water reached their thighs. Kane immediately felt his energy drain and lost his balance. He was fortunate, however, when he was caught by Zoro who only grumbled, "Devil fruit users."

Owing to weakness, Kane lost much of his memory after that, until he felt his strength return when he was pulled to the surface by a smirking Sanji. He also spotted Smoker being rescued by Zoro, much to his relief. It would be disastrous if they lost their only way of properly incriminating Crocodile, seeing as his office was sunk, and there was nothing to salvage anymore.

"RORONOA! Why did you save me?!" Smoker demanded, thrusting his jutte to Zoro, who blocked the strike.

"Captain's orders." Zoro said.

"Then you wouldn't mind if I did my duty," Smoker said, only for Sanji to mock him for being ungrateful.

"Hey, Smokey! You wanna fight!" Luffy shouted when he came to.

"Go. If I see you again, you're dead," Smoker said to the Straw Hats.

"Wait, Smoker. Can we talk? In exchange for saving your sorry ass, we want something in return." Kane asked.

"What? I don't take exchanges from pirates" Smoker asked, knowing that they would ask something like this

"I want you.. To take credit for Crocodile's fall. We are pirates. The Government probably won't believe us and will probably release Crocodile to do what he wants. You, however, are a marine. Your words would carry more weight than us when we defeat Crocodile. You will arrest Crocodile. Isn't it justice to end evil?" Kane said curtly adding the last sentence to play upon Smoker's conscience.

"Hmph. Don't screw with me, pirate." Smoker said.

"I trust you will make the right decision, for justice, if nothing else," Kane said, while turning around to catch up to Luffy.

"EVERYONE WE'RE GOING TO ALUBARNA!" Luffy declared.

"YEAH!" The crew shouted along.

Kane just hoped this would work. He wiped the thought on his mind however, when he thought about what he was going to do. It was a huge battlefield, and a lot of assassins. It was perfect. He could finally test his powers, at last!

**OKAY IM DONE! NEXT WE'RE GOING TO ALUBARNA! HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THIS! It was a great chapter to write, although there was barely any action. Anyway, you have a taste of how annoying Crocodile is, eh? Kane finally begins to realize what Crocodile's after. Well, hope you liked it, RnR, and toodles!~~~~**

**Alice In Chains - Love, Hate, Love**


End file.
